This invention relates to a burial vault which is formed of a high density closed-cell foam.
Burial vaults used to surround a casket in a grave have historically been formed of cement, such that they have sufficient rigidity to fully protect the casket. Cement burial vaults are heavy, and thus difficult to manufacture, store, and utilize. Further, the prior art cement burial vaults have allowed seepage of ground water into the vault such that it has access to the casket. The leakage waters may escape back outwardly of the burial vault. Should the corpse within the casket have a disease, that disease could potentially be carried with the water escaping the burial vault. For that reason, it would be desirable to have a leakage resistant burial vault.
Foam burial vaults have been proposed, however, they have typically been formed of low density open-cell foams which are not sufficiently rigid to adequately protect the casket. These burial vaults have typically included inner and outer layers of glass fiber resins to add additional rigidity. Due to the additional layers, these prior art vaults have been unduly expensive and complicated to manufacture. Further, ceneteries typically stock a large number of vaults, and the prior art vaults have required a relatively large amount of storage space.